Architect Redesigns A 100 Year Old Home Into A Calming Modern Home (House Tour)

A beautiful dance of soft curves and geometric lines, Lee House is a study in balance and restraint where the architect redesigns a 100 year old home. Angelo Candalepas, director of Candalepas Associates and the architect of Lee House, assumes a very conceptual approach to architecture – evident in the house he has crafted. “What we have tried to do is seek aspects of perfection in form that enable us to encourage something in the human condition which isn't able to be seen, but is perhaps only able to be felt,” reflects Angelo.

Here, the architect redesigns a 100 year old home in Sydney’s Watsons Bay. The front façade appears as a humble, one-storey traditional cottage that sits in contrast to the two-storey, modern, geometric façade at the rear. The way the architect redesigns a 100 year old home was a step away from the client’s original brief – removing the existing cottage and creating a large home. After many discussions, the client developed a modesty about their brief. “It meant we could work with an incredibly quiet house… something that is purely an interior design,” says Angelo.

The architect redesigns a 100 year old home with a material palette that is simultaneously robust, raw and refined. Timber flooring and ceilings make the space feel spacious yet cosy and is also used in the kitchen for joinery, the dining table and the base of the island bench. This is complemented by the heavy use of concrete for walls, stairs and detailing, softened by round curves. Styling is dominated by minimalist furniture and neutral tones. The effect is a layered home that combines organic moments such as the soft curves of the concrete and circular skylight with the geometric nature of the timber flooring, sharp stairs and rectilinear furniture.

When reflecting on the use of curved concrete, Angelo comments on the way materials can evoke something deeper than their physicality. “Through the softness of the concrete and how light might be absorbed in it, one may imagine that beyond the surface something denser or more real might exist in it.”

In this way, the architect redesigns a 100 year old home with a tangible sense of intimacy. A day bed offers a sense of private retreat, while the garden and courtyard imbue a similar mood, enriched with lush greenery, and a stone-paved alfresco dining area surrounded by the manicured garden.

The architect redesigns a 100 year old home in a way that honours yet rejuvenates a beautiful house – offering a deep reflection on heritage, balance, intimacy and the power of materials.

00:00 - Introduction to the 100 Year Old Home
01:02 - The Original Concept
02:13 - Seeking Perfection Through Form
03:00 - Behind The Material Palette
04:30 - The Relationship Between Builder and Architect
05:26 - Experiencing the Intimacy of the Home
06:50 - Favourite Aspects

For more from The Local Project:



Photography by Rory Gardiner.
Architecture and Interior Design by Candalepas Associates.
Build by Jason Boyle Constructions.
Structural Engineering by R Balas Consulting.
Geotechnical Engineer by JK Group.
Styling by Holly Irvine.
Filmed by The Local Project.
Edited by Andre Hoo.
Production by The Local Project.

Location: Watsons Bay, New South Wales, Australia

The Local Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the land in Australia. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our country and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.

#Architect #Home #ModernHouse

[ahhsugoi]

Architects are fascinating. It's like they're speaking a totally different language.

[CourtneyBishopPOA]

The depth from which Angelo shares the craft was very interesting & beautiful. Such passion. Plus, hearing him talk about the client enjoying her meditative space while seeing the book, Still, sitting on the counter - as I sit here watching with the same book next to me - felt so serendipitious, special, purposeful, and perfect.. as Angelo is explaining. 🙏🏻

[robthewaywardwoodworker]

I love the understated presentation of this house. It drives home the esoteric and ethereal nature of architecture, in its simplicity and elegance.

[nichj]

“So if you talk about light, and if you talk about surface, and if you talk about shape — the things that are impressive about how we can dispense with our understanding of light is that shape creates a beautiful sense of purpose in form that enables us to imagine that it’s organic…”

On the one hand, I admire the intellectual depth behind these ideas. But even in the context of a university lecture on architecture, this narration would be difficult to digest.

[jimandjudyc]

The starkness of all the concrete surfaces is chilling. The wood surfaces help, but the rest literally leaves me "cold." However, I understand that some people are looking for, and love, this utter simplicity of form and function.

[frankdeleon]

When architecture meets poetry - literarily and physically. What struck me most was the reference by the architect to "moments" rather than places within the house. A home is not a space or at least not simply a space. Rather, it's an experience. It's a feeling. Like a series of (cohesive) vignettes. And all of this visual language is very much well represented in the house. What a breath of fresh air!

[kayelyward]

It's a beautiful home. The combination of the curved concrete with the wood warms the interior portion of the home. The slifing glass door opens beautifully to allow breezes from the outside. Floor to ceiling windows are striking and allow light into the home. The outdoor patio is lovely as well.

[lexiezhao]

Include a floor plan and some design decisions made would be very helpful

[jeffhacker]

Word soup. Cool house. It would be nice if we could see it.

[juliamckechnie]

I enjoyed the architect''s eloquence. The home seems very serene and under stated (not showy) and attends to the gifts of the materials.

[enyejii]

I just want to express how I loved your work. I feel like living here will motivate me more to imagine about new designs.

[angelaballard]

This house is a spiritual experience and Angelo Candalepas a master of serenity. I don't recall another architect expressing the details of a home collaboration, its form, materiality and perfection with such grace. 🙏

[cmorsley]

A house is a place where people, sleep, eat, wash, argue, make love and stomp mud down the hallway. Little fingers make a mess of the fridge, dogs shit in the back yard. When an architect takes into account the basic acts of living and then elevates the form to make a positive emotional impact then, I think, this is success. Although well meaning, Angelo complicates his beautiful work in narration because he can’t quite put his finger on an adequate description.

[TheSushmaHomeSellingTeam]

🏡 The architect's skill in redesigning a 200-year-old home into a calming modern space is truly awe-inspiring.

[serpserpserp]

I like the house but the interiors just make it feel like an art gallery that no one lives in. Which is crazy because Camp Cove is the ultimate place to raise a family.

[annabeljenkins]

I didn’t understand a lot but boy hiding the kitchen stove exhaust in the window reveal like that is genius

[SethMcGinnis-yl]

Nice home that doesn't need architect-speak to describe it.

[olawaleoladele]

Such a lovely home, another amazing episode but The more I listen to architects, the more I wander do they teach them to speak like that in the course of training to become an architect, like My God that opening line.

[nextwave]

Best way to view this video is by turning off the sound. Sorry, but the narration doesn’t add anything to it. By the way, I admire the precision of this built and of the Local Project builds, in general, even though it contributes to a feeling of “coldness”.

[fenyaslack]

I loved the narration. He thinks deeply about the craft. And that helped me think deeply …